L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano T h e I t a l i a n w o r d volentieri (voh- lain-tee-ai-ree) is a n a d v e r b t h a t t r a n s l a t e s t o "willingly," "gladly," or "with pleasure" in English. It is commonly used to express a positive and willing attitude towards doing something, and this is why we usually say it with a smile on our faces! Volentieri is used to indi- cate a readiness or eagerness to act, it conveys a sense of e n t h u s i a s m a n d i s o f t e n e m p l o y e d i n r e s p o n s e s t o i n v i t a t i o n s , r e q u e s t s , o r offers. For example, if some- one invites you to a meal and you reply volentieri, you are expressing that you would be happy and willing to join. The word comes from the O l d F r e n c h v o l e n t i e r s , which in turn originates from the Late Latin voluntarie, meaning "voluntarily." Vol- untarie derives from volun- tarius, based on voluntas, which means "will." Volentieri has been part of the Italian language for cen- turies, with its usage trace- able back to Medieval Italian literature. It has retained its meaning and usage over the y e a r s , c o n t i n u i n g t o b e a 1 to the; at the 3 (I) have 7 a, an 8 frog 9 with, in the company of 10 (feminine plural of) the 11 wings 13 three 16 (you/tu) know 17 six 20 the (feminine) 21 of the 22 vine; screw 23 king 24 into, going inside 25 and (before a vowel) Using the provided meanings as clues, search for the appropriate Italian word in the grid 2 moon 4 hours 5 (he) enters 6 echo 10 them 12 there (precise) 14 (he) kisses 15 from there/here; of/about it 17 (he) knows 18 thoughts 19 (a plural form of) the 20 she common expression in mod- ern Italian, across all regis- ters. It is a versatile and pos- itive word that adds warmth and willingness to Italian conversations: for instance, we would say ti aiuto volen- tieri ("I'll be happy to help you") to show that we are not only willing to give a hand to someone but that we are doing it happily. It can also be used when you have to refuse an offer you would like to take up, as in verrei a cena con te volen- t i e r i , m a f i n i s c o t a r d i d i lavorare ("I'd love to have dinner with you, but I have to work late"). Vuoi venire al cinema con noi stasera? Sì, volentieri! Fancy coming to the cine- ma with us tonight? Yes, I'd love to! Ho aiutato volentieri un mio amico per il suo esame di Italiano I was happy to help my f r i e n d w i t h t h e i r I t a l i a n exam Farei volentieri a meno di lavorare domenica, ma non ho alternative I'd gladly avoid working on Sunday, but I have no choice. LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Volentieri, the word you always say with a smile! ID 6044753 © Stefan Da Dreamstime.com 1 to hold 2 to run 3 mother 4 to eat 5 face 6 heart 7 to turn 8 three 9 school 10 girl 11 son 12 shirt 13 table 14 river 15 two 16 one A C R O S S D O W N ITALIAN WORD SEARCH The solution to these word games will be available on the next edition. Games courtesy of Lexis Rex

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